Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab has said that the main building of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation would be shifted to solar panel system next week.
According to a KMC statement on Thursday, the mosque located within the KMC building premises will also be converted to solar energy. In the next phase, more KMC buildings and streetlights will be shifted to solar energy, which will significantly reduce the financial burden on KMC and allow for the sale of excess electricity produced from solar energy to K-Electric.
He made these remarks while inspecting the solar panel system installed on the roof of the KMC’s main building. On this occasion, the Mayor’s spokesperson for political affairs, Karamullah Waqasi, Deputy Parliamentary Leader of the Pakistan People’s Party in the City Council, Dil Muhammad, Jumman Darwan and other officials were present. During the inspection, Barrister Murtaza Wahab received a detailed briefing, which included information that the installation of the solar system to provide electricity to the KMC head office cost approximately Rs20 million. A total of 259 solar panels have been installed on the roof, which will generate between 650 to 700 units of electricity daily.
In addition to the installation of solar panels and inverters, the building’s structure has been reinforced for the solar system, and wiring has been done to ensure that offices in the KMC building can access solar energy during the day. The daily electricity requirement of the KMC head office is estimated at about 400 kW, while the capacity of the solar system installed on the building’s roof is 150 kW. The solar energy system is connected to K-Electric’s grid, allowing KMC to sell excess electricity produced during holidays back to K-Electric.
Mayor Karachi instructed that proper maintenance arrangements be made for the installed solar panels and other equipment to ensure the system remains beneficial for the KMC Building for an extended period. He emphasized that the transition of the KMC’s main building to solar energy represents another step towards improvement, which will yield positive and beneficial results.
He further said that Karachi Metropolitan Corporation has also completed the installation of solar panels at Kidney Hill Park, facilitating the park’s transition to solar energy. In the future, more parks, recreational areas, and KMC buildings in Karachi will also be powered by solar energy.
He noted that major cities around the world are adopting alternative energy methods, including solar panels, wind energy, and other modern systems, which are successfully providing electricity to metropolitan infrastructure at a lower cost. Given Pakistan’s climate, harnessing electricity through solar energy is feasible, and maximizing its benefits is crucial. Efforts are underway at the government level in Sindh to increase the use of solar panels, which is commendable. Over time, the effectiveness of these initiatives will become increasingly apparent. The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation is the central authority for providing civic services, and efforts will continue to make it stable and efficient.